Pitman connection.



C. PEARSON.

PITMAN CONNECTION.

APPLIOA'I'ION rum) JUNE 12, 1011.

Patented May 21,1912.

COLUMBIA PUNOGIAPM 50-. WMHINOION. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES PEARSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PITMAN CONNECTION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PnAnsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pitman Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pitman connections, and in particular to such as are used in connection with the cutting apparatus of a mower or harvester; its object being to provide a construction whereby the pitman may be connected wit-h the knife head of a mower in a manner permitting a free tilting movement thereof during the operation of the machine, means whereby the jaws of the pitman are caused to yieldingly engage with a spherical bearin block forming part of the knife head, am also means whereby the jaws may be readily and easily detached from the bearing block in a manner permitting the withdrawal of the knife from the machine. I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a pitman and knife head connection for mowing machines, having my invention forming a part thereof; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 represents a detail of part of the structure on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4;; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 represents a detached portion of one of the jaws of the pitman; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is an end elevation, partly in section, of Fig. 8.

The same reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

1 represents the body of the pitman, which is preferably made of wood, 2 metal straps I having one end thereof secured to the body of the pitman upon opposite sides thereof and provided at their opposite ends with inwardly projecting conical portions 3 that are received by tapering cavities in a bearing box 4, whereby the pitman may be connected with the crank pin of a mower, the straps being secured to the bearing block by means of a bolt 5, having a special nut 6 that is provided with radially arranged teeth upon its surface. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 12, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Serial No. 632,530.

7 rep-resents a plate spring having one end secured to the pitman and its opposite end adapted to engage with the teeth upon the nut in a manner to yieldingly hold it against a turning movement in a well-known way.

8 represents a mower knife including a knife head 9 provided with a vertically-arranged web portion 10, having integral therewith, upon pposite sides thereof, axially alined semi-spherical bearings 11, and 12 represents resilient jaws upon opposite sides of the body of the pitman, having one end thereof secured thereto and their opposite ends provided with cavities adapted to receive the semi-spherical bearings 11 of the knife head.

13 represents ear members integral with the jaws adjacent the knife head, projecting inward and overlapping each other and provided with slotted openings 14: that extend inward from the body portion of the oppositely disposed jaws and terminate in end walls.

15 represents a sliding wedge having opposite sides thereof adapted to be received by the slot-ted openings in the ear members 13 and engage with the oppositely disposed end walls thereof in a manner to cause the jaws to approach each other and engage with the bearing upon the knife head when moved in one direction, as shown by full lines in Fig. 3.

16 represents a tang portion integral with the wedge, having its ends slidably received by an opening in a bearing plate 17 carried by the end of the body of the pitman, the pitman having a longitudinal opening to permit the tang to slide therein.

18 represents wing members projecting from opposite sides of the head of the wedge and beyond the upper and lower edges of the jaws and forming convenient means whereby the operator may retract the wedge; 19 a compression spring surrounding the tang 16 and operative between the plate 17 and the wings 18 in a manner to press the wedge in a direction to close the jaws upon the bearing carried by the knife, the point of the wedge being provided with a curved lip portion 20 at one side thereof that permits a limited lateral swinging movement of the wedge when it is moved in a direction to release the jaws from engagement with the bearing upon the knife head for the purpose of allowing the point of the wedge to engage with the end wall of one of the ears in a manner to temporarily retain the wedge in retracted position with the jaws in an open position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and when the wedge is released from its locked position by swinging it laterally, the spring becomes effective to slide it in a direction to close the jaws upon the bearing.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A pitman connection including, in C0111- bination, a bearing block, and a pitman having oppositely disposed resilient jaws adapted to engage with said bearing block, said aws being provided with inwardly projecting overlapping ears having slotted openings therein, a sliding wedge received by said openings and engaging with the walls thereof in a manner to close said jaws when moved in one direction, said wedge having a tang portion slidably received by the body portion of said pitman, and a coiled spring encircling said tang and op-' erative between said pitman and the head of said wedge in a manner to cause the latter to close said aws.

2. A pitman connection including, 1n combination, a bearing block, and a pitman having oppositely disposed resilient jaws adapted to engage with said bearing block, said jaws being provided with inwardly projecting overlapping ears having slotted openings therein, a sliding wedge received by said openings and engaging with the walls thereof in a manner to close said jaws when moved in one direction, said wedge having oppositely disposed wing portions project ing laterally and a longitudinally extended tang portion from the head thereof, said tang portion being slidably received by the body of said pitman, and a compression spring encircling said tang and operative between said pitman and the head of said wedge in a manner to cause the latter to close said jaws.

CHARLES PEARSON.

Witnesses RAY PATTISON, FRANK A. ZABILKA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

